Dallas Cowboys: So close, but still so far away (changes coming…)

Now that the dust has settled after another devastating playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys can look at the positives and correct all of the negatives. I mean, what other choices do they have if they want to advance beyond the divisional round of the playoffs?

Sure, Cowboys Nation has every reason to be upset with this storied franchise. But on the positive side:

• The Cowboys went 5-1 with backup quarterback Cooper Rush,
• Never lost more than two games in a row
• Boasted one of the highest scoring offenses in the league
• Won their first road playoff game since 1992
• Finally beat Tom Brady
• And won 25 games over the last two years.

Mike McCarthy joins Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, and Barry Switzer as the only other Cowboys head coaches to win 20 plus games and a Super Bowl, but just like those Super Bowl-winning legends (not sure about Switzer), they had to deal with heartache losses and everything else that came with defeat before hoisting that coveted Lombardi trophy.

The Dallas Cowboys have some of the talent needed to win the Super Bowl but must make some upgrades in the off-season.

After the Dallas Cowboys beat Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in convincing fashion, everyone felt like a curse had been lifted off this team and they had a punchers chance of “MIGHTY” 49ers. Even with Dak Prescott throwing two costly interceptions that doomed them, Dallas’ defense played beyond the call of duty and stifled a 49ers offense that had been averaging 34 points a game.

In other words, Dallas shot themselves in the foot for the second consecutive year against their old nemesis. So, losing 19-13 to a 49ers team is nothing to be embarrassed about, except in the manner of how Dallas lost. And that is why a team with so much talent must change its philosophy and make some upgrades if it ever wants to win another Super Bowl, or at least make an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.

Before I dive in and share my insight, let us be reminded that this is a Dallas team that had to overcome some unique challenges to win a total of 13 games .